July 2015 Blog Posts (33)

Tim Keller says, "We should not decide how to pray based on the experiences and feelings we want. Instead, we should do everything possible to behold our God as he is, and prayer will follow." Maybe that's why we need to build and maintain a prayer altar in our heart? We need to be there, in God's Presence, not just ‘experience’ His kingdom power, peace and prosperity.

Years ago, my view of prayer was radically changed by a little booklet entitled, My Heart, Christ’s Home.  …

I would like to introduce you to a book that will challenge 

grandparents, baby boomers and beyond to look at their grandparenting in our broken world.  Courageous Grandparenting: Unshakeable Faith in a Broken World is a call for grandparents and parents to rise above the conventional view of grandparenting to embrace radically courageous life that stands apart…

For several reasons I have decided to suspend my blog during the month of August,2015. I am praying about some special future blog entries. So I will see you in September.

Last week I wrote about praying in or from the gospel. We could never plumb the depths or mount the heights of this subject. And I wish to pen just a few more lines specifically on the grace unleashed by the good news of Jesus Christ.

First note that we come to…

The older I get, the more I notice the storms. I am like a tree, whose increasing height causes its branches to tremble in greater gales. As an immature shrub I did not notice the weather as much, being close to the ground. As a more mature evergreen, I feel the wind rustle through every branch, shake every leaf, and chill me to the core. I see…

Albert Einstein asked, “A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin, what else does a man need to be happy?” Apparently Einstein was not smart enough for Harvard University, who conducted a seventy-five year longitudinal study of the subject, and first concluded happiness is love. Then this same group suggested that happiness is good, explaining that happiness actually comes from three goods: (1) Doing good for others, (2) Doing things that one is good at, and (3) Doing good for self.…

If you are a grandparent who would like to pray more effectively or intentionally for your grandchildren you will want to purchase and read the book, Grandparenting with a Purpose: Effective Ways to Pray for your Grandchildren. The book provides specific examples to help you pray, such as alphabet prayers, prayers based on Scriptures, Suggestions to pray for School…

Are the Peoples of the Arabian Peninsula Enemies?

 For many Christians those of other faiths are enemies. There also seems to be a quickly growing mentality that all Muslims are the greatest…

Years ago my car engine burned up because the oil had leaked out. I’m sure the leakage had been going on for a while, but the destruction to my engine happened quite rapidly, mere moments after I saw the warning light on my dashboard.

Lately I’ve been reflecting on my need for “oil” of another kind—the oil of the Holy Spirit. And I’ve also been challenged about the necessity of regularly checking the warning lights on my spiritual dashboard.

Jesus told an intriguing story about…

http://praylikeagourmet.com/book/summer-blog-picnic/

True intimacy is a function of time. If we want to know someone well, we must spend quality time with that person. There really is no substitute for time when we are building a relationship that is…

How do you end your prayers? You say "Amen," of course. We all do. Why do we do that? That is not how prayers end in the Bible. And while many of us know the verily, so be it, meaning of the word, I don't believe that is the real reason we end our prayers with"amen."

I believe we have a need to conclude our prayers, or rather to solemnize a conclusion to a prayer. Especially with petition, we are saying "This is what I need."…

Grandparents who believe in the power of prayer can make a great impact on their children, grandchildren

 and future generations not only on National Grandparents’ Day but everyday.  

Cavin Harper, Executive Director of Christian Grandparenting Network  (CGN) says. In his book, “Courageous Grandparenting, “Builders and Boomer generations represent the majority of today’s grandparents. There are nearly eighty…

You have just been issued a summons. You must appear in court immediately, and not as a juror. You have been called by the prosecution to take the stand as a defendant in a case with a high dollar value. If you lose, your sentence could include a lifetime in prison. What's worse: you have been wrongfully accused.

If this…

“Second wind is a phenomenon in distance running, such as marathons or road running, whereby an athlete who is too out of breath and tired to continue suddenly finds the strength to press on at top performance with less exertion.” – Wikipedia

I meet lots of people who are weary today. Many of them are fellow baby boomers, who get tired more easily than in their younger days.

But weariness is an epidemic affecting people of all ages, and often it has…

Yemen, Arabian Peninsula Day 24 - July 11, 2015 As Muslims are praying and fasting during Ramadan, we pray for them.

God did this [war, hardship] so that they [Yemeni] would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.

All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, Christians focused on Yemen are asking us to pray Acts 17:27 and Psalm 22:27 with…